Archery, which has existed for some 30,000 years, was significantly advanced by the advent of the compound bow. The apparent advantages of the compound bow are somewhat tampered by its complex system of pulleys and strings, and its relatively large mass. The archer, whether on a target range or hunting in the field, wishes to be able to "park" his or her bow while resting or while otherwise engaged. Placing the bow on the ground often results in the pulleys or strings picking up debris and becoming fouled, with attendant unreliable bow action. Not only is it desirable to be able to "park" the bow without danger of fouling, but it is desirable to be able to leave an arrow nocked and ready for use, and (when hunting) to be able to take up the bow without the game noticing any bow movement. The hunting archer also desires to be able to "park" a bow whether using a ground mounted blind or a tree stand, and desires to be able to integrate the use of a string bobbin tracking device.
It is an inherent linguistic limitation that the same word is customarily used both for the entire apparatus used to discharge an arrow (the bow) and for the part of the apparatus exclusive of the strings and any pulleys (the bow). Context will often suggest which meaning is intended. It is the convention here to use "bow-limb" when the latter, more narrow, meaning is intended. Certain bows have an upper and a lower bow-limb separated by a riser. A riser may have an attachment point for a string bobbin tracking device. The outermost end, or ends, of a bow-limb shall be referred to as a "bow-end."
The desire to support a bow in a generally upright, fixed, and ready position has long been held. U.S. Pat. No. 3,441,241 is representative of bow holders for holding a conventional bow. This patent is particularly elegant in describing the desirable objects of a bow holder. This patent discloses a ground engaging spike and an attached means to engage both the front and back surface of a bow-limb of a conventional bow. The means disclosed are not suited to engaging both surfaces of a compound bow's bow-limb.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,331,311, 4,360,179, and 4,896,854 disclose a device appearing to be capable of holding a compound bow. Each of these patents have a lower means intended to support an end of the bow-limb and an upper means intended to support part of the bow-limb somewhat distant from the end of the bow-limb.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,331,311 discloses a lower means consisting of a pair of brackets (with a gap between them to give clearance to the compound bow's lower pulley or eccentric cam) each bracket having an inclined portion with an outside lip adapted to support the inside surface of the end of the compound bow's bow-limb. It appears that the inclined portions of the lower means also serve to resist the overturning moment of the whole bow and the lips serve to resist the whole bow's tendency to twist sideways. The same patent discloses an upper means that is essentially an inclined shelf for receiving the outside surface of the bow-limb somewhat distant from the end of the bow-limb.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,360,179 discloses a lower means that appears to be a bracket that is open at the top, and surrounds all except the inside surface of the end of the bow-limb with "suitable foamed elastomeric material." If used with a compound bow, the end pulley will bear down on the bracket with much of the weight of the bow. The upper means of this patent is a bracket that surrounds all except the inside surface of the bow-limb with the same "suitable foamed elastomeric material" at a place somewhat distant from the end of the bow-limb. It appears that the overturning moment of the whole bow, and the tendency of the whole bow to twist sideways, is likely to be resisted by friction forces directed into the "suitable foamed elastomeric material."
U.S. Pat. No. 4,896,854 discloses a preferred embodiment having a lower means that appears to be a cup shaped receptacle. If used with a compound bow, the end pulley will bear down on the receptacle with much of the weight of the bow. The upper means appears to be a U shaped bracket that surrounds all except the inside surface of the bow-limb at a place somewhat distant from the end of the bow-limb. The bow is cradled between the two means.
The above three noted patents support only a bow's bow-limb, require adjustment before they will hold a bow vertically, and are not such that bows are inherently held in an essentially vertical attitude. It also appears that the above noted patents only cradle a bow-limb with the result that a horizontal displacement (such as would be produced by the side force of a gust of wind) will tend to cause the bow to fall from the holder. Among the objects of the present invention is a holder, requiring essentially no adjustments, that inherently holds a bow in an essentially vertical attitude (detachably retaining the bowstring in so doing), and that is easily transported. Furthermore, it is an object of the present invention that the imposition of a side force to the held bow is met with a restoring force that tends to maintain the bow upright. Additional objects of this invention include avoidance of significant forces on any end pulley, provision for accommodating a string bobbin tracking device, and straightforward means for detachably attaching the invention to the earth or a structure.